Once again , multitude are talking about how Apple wo n’t play skillful with Android devices . This prison term Google Senior Vice President Hiroshi Lockheimer , who superintend Android , is bring Apple to task over the green house of cards struggle and advocate the company to embrace a new text messaging standard that will make bad-tempered - platform communication leisurely .
On Saturday , Lockheimer tweeted that Apple ’s walled garden around iMessage is a “ document strategy , ” adding that the caller uses peer pressure level and intimidation to sell its product despite its marketing centered around “ humanity and equity . ”
Lockheimer specifically call out how Apple could underpin Rich Communication Services , orRCS , but choose not to . The messaging standard has effectively united all Android devices on one texting program after a long time - long movement . The three major U.S. carriers all support RCS . It ’s available by default through the Google Messages app , which add up standard on all Android devices — just like Apple Messages is standard is on all Apple machine . In fact , thelast holdoutto get RCS standardized across mobile platforms is Apple .
Will Android and iPhone users ever share a messaging platform?Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
TodayLockheimer deniedthat his tweets were a critical review of Apple ’s refusal to bring iMessage to Android . Instead , he wants Apple to patronize RCS in iMessage , just as the company supports old SMS / MMS standards . He even offered to help Apple carry out RCS , replicate down on apleamade deep last yr .
Lockheimer insists that Apple adopting RCS would also help more folks connect .
“ earphone turn - based electronic messaging is the fallback , ” Lockheimer tweeted . “ If you want to reach someone and you do n’t recognise whether they use app x y or z , you have high assurance that mail them a text ( SMS ) will work . ” It ’s a standard that has long been supported by mobile devices , which Lockheimer suggests is “ probably why Apple support SMS to set out with . ”
Lockheimer is right . Supporting RCS would meliorate the experience for both Io and Android users . Speaking as a longtime Android user , it means I could haveencryptedconversations with my love single who use iPhones without having to habituate a third - party app , and I could at long last receive video snip as think from my Apple - using protagonist .
But Google is also to blame for itsdisorganizedmessaging strategy over the year , which it still has n’t count on out and whittled down . Google presently runs a fistful of message services , including Google Messages , Google Chat / Hangouts ( depending on if youflipped the switchor not ) , and Google Voice . There ’s also message and chat functionality baked into other Google apps , admit Google Photos and Google Maps Business Messages , letting you chit-chat with restaurant and shop owner .
Lockheimer was on the money about one thing : telephone figure are a universal agency to notice if someone ’s on a messaging platform . Apps like Signal , Telegram , and WhatsApp serve as second- and third - tier electronic messaging platform for the same the great unwashed I convey with through text electronic messaging . And when Google Messages ca n’t do a task — like a large video file or close - to - end encryption — because of platform differences , my loved ones and I default on to one of the backups bring up above .
I ’m not hold out hope that Apple will adopt RCS , because the troupe is footling incentive to — itscustomers do n’t bear in mind being locked in , as pesky as it might be for their Android Friend .
Google would be better off reach a cosmopolitan electronic messaging result that unites them all — third - party and first - party — make it leisurely for its drug user to riffle back and away between conversations . We already hear of some of this universal utilisation coming to Chrome OS ’s earpiece applater this year . Google could make Android better by simplifying its own messaging apps and enabling one - click entree to every option so Apple ’s decisions do n’t weigh .
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